And the differences extend beyond skiing. While Oscar listens to house music, Jacob listens to Neil Young, Elliott Smith and Sigur Rós. Oscar’s outgoing personality welcomes new friends, while Jacob is a bit more introverted—selective. Oscar loves golf and gardening. Jacob is a die-hard surfer. Jacob is the intellectual. Oscar loves a good party.

Both brothers ski raced as kids. At one point, Oscar was the best junior ski racer in Stockholm. His mother, Tina, a former World Cup ski racer, says people couldn’t understand why he quit at age 10. It was the same reason his brother had left ski racing—he discovered jumping. Oscar spent his days following Jacob around the mountain, always motivated to hit the same jumps and cliffs. Whether it was on the trampoline, the ski hill or at the skate park, Jacob coached Oscar and taught him every trick he knew. He was motivated to create the ideal ski partner. “I was really tough on him, making sure he didn’t stop trying something even if he was scared,” says Jacob.

“I always looked up to him,” says Oscar. “I’d try a trick even if I was scared because I never wanted to disappoint him.”

“The last few seasons, he’s been evolving at a crazy rate and has surpassed my technical level by miles,” says Jacob of his brother.

Oscar dreams of winning the X Games and, one day, an Olympic medal. He has some ideas for a couple of never-before-done tricks, and he’s thriving in the competition scene. “Everyone is progressing all the time, so you really have to push yourself to get a spot on the podium,” says Oscar. “I think that’s why I like it.”

His coach says he has the composure to perform under pressure and the guts to put it all on the line. “It’s amazing to see his focus before he drops in for a run,” says Nyberg. “Oscar has a way of staying present that keeps him alert and helps him progress rapidly.”

“The last few seasons, he’s been evolving at a crazy rate and has surpassed my technical level by miles…” -Jacob Wester

At the 2013 World Championships in Voss, Norway, Oscar wasn’t even sure of his entire slopestyle run as he left the start gate yet managed to place seventh. So far, he’s relied more on raw talent than a structured strategy or repetitive practice, something Jacob was always better at. His coach says we’ve only seen the beginning of what Oscar is capable of.

Skier Robby Franco met Oscar three years ago at the Trick Bag Challenge that Jacob put on at Storlien, Sweden. They’ve since become good friends. “Oscar is always trying to have fun, and he has such a unique and technical style,” says Franco. “I have been with him countless times when he finds a feature to jib in a way that others haven’t done before. His skiing is always entertaining.”

Though he draws inspiration from the likes of Tom Wallisch, Candide Thovex and Jossi Wells, in addition to his brother, Oscar says it’s less about who the skier is when he sees a new trick, interesting rotation or special grab. “I get inspired by anything that stands out from the norm,” Oscar explains.

That’s precisely how Jacob has remained in the spotlight for so many years.

“To generalize a bit, there appears to be more or less one look out there for a pro skier, and Jacob never fit it,” says photographer and Armada co-founder, Chris O’Connell, who first met Jacob at a competition in Åre, Sweden in 2001. At the time, Jacob was the only one clearing a hip jump as if it were a tabletop. “I was really impressed with his natural ability,” O’Connell adds.

When he placed fourth at the US Freeskiing Open at 16 years of age, Jacob picked up Oakley and Armada as sponsors, partnerships he’s maintained for nearly ten years. “He was a big part of the development of the AR7, the Alpha and Halo skis,” says O’Connell. “He had very specific input, and our engineers listened and created the skis that he could slam record- breaking hip airs on and win big air comps. More recently, he also has helped with development and vetting of backcountry-touring skis like the Kufo and the TST.”

In 2013, Jacob joined Seth Morrison for an Oakley trip to Telluride where they skied the area’s iconic couloirs. Jacob practiced his skinning and steep skiing technique. Last season, he took two trips to Chamonix where he challenged himself on many of the classics with some of the valley’s best ski mountaineers, including Tof Henry and the late Andreas Fransson. “I knew he was really good at jumping, but I didn’t know how he would be in the mountains,” says Henry, arguably Chamonix’s fastest skier. “Wow. Just, wow. I was super impressed.”

Jacob learned how to use a rope to access steep and exposed couloirs and how to cut a cornice to get into an even steeper one. “Cham was definitely a turning point,” says Jacob. “I think every new aspect of skiing you get into will change your career in a way, whether you know it or not. But sometimes you’ll know right away, and Chamonix was definitely one of those experiences.”

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